Grottes et karsts de Chine
Sur les traces de Xu Xiake

Small entrance amidst vegetation 40m uphill to the southwest from the original temple.

Climb down for about 4m to a small chamber which opens immediately to a passage carrying a very small stream. Upstream can be followed in small walking passage for about 15m to where the water enters from above, which has not been pushed. Downstream immediately goes down a climb into a small chamber where the stream flows into a too-low bedding; however, the way on is to the left of the bedding in a 30cm wide, 1m high, hading passage which after 3m reaches the head of the first pitch. The first pitch is 4m to a ledge and a further 3m to the floor. At the bottom the way on is too small, but on the ledge a crawl leads off to the head of the second pitch which is 7m deep. From the foot of the second pitch, the water goes down a popcorny slot with a crawl to the left. The way on is instead up a slope to the left where the passage then turns right to enter a T junction with a 3m wide walking passage with slabs of breakdown on the floor. To the right there is a 8m diameter well decorated solution pocket with a crawl going off underneath which ends after 15m in a choke. To the left the walking passage comes shortly to the third pitch. On the other side a possible continuation has not been pushed (needs bolts to protect). The pitch has extremely chossy rock with much popcorn. A few meters down the pitch the popcorn stream passage enters. A scrappy descent of 12m reaches the floor and a chamber. To the east an inlet enters from a hands and knees crawl which has not been pushed. To the south up a short ramp enters a chamber where an aven inlet enters and there is a high level passage parallel to the main (rubble strewn ramp to choke to E, climb to W). To the west the passage turns left into some large breakdown blocks which can be passed by going underneath following the catchy stream course and then doing an awkward climb down to enter a further section of 3m wide walking passage. Just before the climb down, an unpushed rift enters from the west and a high level passage can be seen to the north. In the walking passage, the stream immediately descends through impenetrable boulders, and the way on is up a slope of blocks and down again where an inlet enters high on the right from a sloping crawl which ends too tight. The water sinks in a crawl in a crawl on the right but straight ahead leads to a dry crawl over rat shit. A small hole on the right connects to the stream crawl and continues low and wet (unpushed). Continuing along the dry crawl, the head of a further pitch is reached. The descent is in two steps of 6m each to a steep rubble floor and terminal choke. At the bottom the only possible way on is very small (rat sized) hole down . No draft and would require chemical persuasion.

EML 2003.12.02

DRJC 2004.04.06